KC’s Mahomes is MVP winner
PHOENIX — Patrick Mahomes dominated the voting for NFL MVP for the 2022 season. Now he’ll try to break a supposed curse associated with the award.
The 27-year-old Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, who also won in 2018, easily outdistanced Philadelphia Eagles counterpart Jalen Hurts, receiving 48 of 50 first-place votes from a nationwide panel of media members who regularly cover the league. Mahomes earned 490 points to 193 for Hurts, who got one firstplace vote, 26 seconds, 11 thirds and 10 fourths.
Mahomes and the Chiefs (16-3) face Hurts and the Eagles (16-3) at Super Bowl LVII on Sunday.
The past nine MVPs to play in the Super Bowl the same season they won the award are 0-9 in the title game. Kurt Warner was the most recent player to win both the MVP award and the Super Bowl, doing so for the 1999 season with the St. Louis Rams.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen received the other first-place vote in the current season’s MVP race, finishing third with 151 points. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow placed fourth, and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson was fifth.
In other awards announced during the “NFL Honors” telecast Thursday night:
› Geno Smith, who earned his first Pro Bowl berth after becoming a full-time starter for the first time since 2014, is the comeback player of the year. The Seattle Seahawks quarterback received 28 first-place votes to beat out 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey.
› Brian Daboll made a big impression in the Big Apple, with the New York Giants’ rookie coach named coach of the year after leading the team to its first playoff appearance in six seasons. Daboll received 16 firstplace votes to outpace 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, who got 12. Daboll totaled 123 points to Shanahan’s 100 in the closest race of all the 2022 season’s awards.
› New York Jets cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner was the defensive rookie of the year, receiving 46 first-place votes. Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson finished second with 129 points, getting three first-place votes.
Gardner, the No. 4 overall pick in last year’s draft, started every game for the Jets. He had two interceptions and allowed just 33 catches on 73 targets and was voted a first-team All-Pro, becoming the first rookie cornerback to achieve the honor since Ronnie Lott in 1981.
› Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson edged Seattle running back Kenneth Walker for offensive rookie of the year, 156-129. Wilson led all rookies with 83 catches and 1,103 receiving yards. Walker led all rookies with 1,050 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Wilson received 18 first-place votes, one fewer than Walker. However, he got 19 seconds to Walker’s eight. Wilson had nine third-place votes, also one fewer than Walker.
› San Francisco defensive end Nick Bosa won defensive player of the year in a landslide, receiving 46 first-place votes after leading the NFL with 18 1/2 sacks in the regular season. Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons finished second with 101 points, far behind Bosa’s 237.
› Jefferson ran away with the offensive player of the year award, getting 35 firstplace votes and 192 points. Mahomes was second after getting 10 first-place votes and 75 points. Hurts came in third with 52 points, including three first-place votes.
› DeMeco Ryans, newly hired as head coach of the Houston Texans, is assistant coach of the year for his work as coordinator of the 49ers’ top-ranked defense.